


The Williamses

by robyngoodfellow



Series: Team Stegosaurus vs. the Universe [9]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Doctor Who, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen, Post-Captain America: The First Avenger, Pre-Avengers (2012), Pre-Avengers Captain America, Steve being Steve, Steve's Old Neighbourhood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-23
Updated: 2017-01-23
Packaged: 2018-09-19 09:32:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9432929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robyngoodfellow/pseuds/robyngoodfellow
Summary: Steve encounters some familiar faces from the old neighbourhood.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to follow_the_sun for her input, and for putting up with my weird, late night whims.

It was a beautiful fall day in New York. The air was crisp, and the leaves had just started to turn. Captain Steven Rogers (Retired) sat outside a café, doodling aimlessly in his sketchbook. He still had trouble believing that he had somehow survived for all those years, frozen in the arctic ice. They recognized him at the café by now, and his favourite table always seemed to be free when he stopped by. It was busy today. Steve had forgotten it was Labor Day Monday. Before long it would get cold, they’d probably stop setting up the outdoor tables, and he’d be forced to sit inside. 

“Are these seats taken, young man?” a thready female voice with a faint Scottish accent broke into his reverie. 

Steve stood and held out the chair next to him. “Please,” he said, as an older lady with snow white hair sat. “You can have the table, I was just leaving.”

“Nonsense!” said the gentleman who sat down across from Steve. “You were doing nothing of the sort. Stay! We’d enjoy the company.”

“If you’re sure,” Steve said, taking his chair, and finally looking at the pair. There was something terribly familiar about those voices. They seemed to be in their late 80s. Their hair was pure white, but they both seemed quite young somehow.

“Oh, Rory! Look! It’s little Steven Rogers.” 

Steve’s jaw dropped.“Mr. and Mrs. Williams?!” 

The Williamses had lived in the same building as Steve and his mother, for a while. Mrs. Williams often said she couldn’t bear to live where she could see the Statue of Liberty. It gave her the willies to have it staring at her, she’d said once. And Mrs. Williams, Steve remembered, was not a woman to get the willies easily. Nothing had ever seemed to phase her. When Mrs. Kovacs, the Hungarian lady from 5B, who all the kids in the building said was a witch, had cast a spell on her, Mrs. Williams had looked her straight in the eye and said something very coldly in perfect Hungarian. After that, Mrs. Kovacs used to hide in her apartment when Mrs. Williams walked by. Bucky had a crush on her after that. If he was honest with himself, Steve thought, he did too. 

“You certainly  _ have _ grown, haven’t you, Steven?” Mrs. Williams, said. There was a flirtatious edge to her voice that Steve found distressing. 

“Amy, now look. You’ve made the boy uncomfortable. He punched Hitler in the face, and you’ve made him uncomfortable.”

“Well, so did you,” Mrs. Williams said proudly, and leaned over to peck her husband on the cheek. 

“I… I never actually punched Hitler, Mrs. Williams,” Steve said. “That was just an actor in the USO show.”

“Oh, I know, Steven. But we were quite proud of you, even so.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Williams...” Steve wasn’t quite sure how to ask the question that was bubbling up in his brain. “You don’t seem too surprised to see me, looking just the same all these years later.”

Mrs. Williams reached up, her hand shaking, and gently patted Steve’s cheek. “These things happen, Steven. After a while, you cease to be surprised by them.”

“But where is James?” Mr. Williams asked. “The pair of you were never far apart, I seem to recall.”

“Bucky… He died, Mr. Williams. He died in 1944.” 

The couple exchanged a look — the kind that only people who’ve been married for 60 years or so can share. 

“I’m sure you’re right, Steven,” Mrs. Williams said. “But it’s been my experience that the people we love are never very far away, even if we don’t realize it. Well,” she said, standing and motioning for Mr. Williams to do the same. “It was quite lovely to see you again, Steven. But I’m sad to say that it’s time for us to go.”

“It’s nice to see a face from the old neighbourhood, Mrs. Williams,” Steve replied, standing as they did. ”Maybe I can take you both out for dinner some time.”

Mrs. Williams smiled softly at Steve and took her husband’s hand in hers. “Thank you, Steven, but we have an appointment to keep.” Mr. Williams shook Steve’s hand, Mrs. Williams kissed him on the cheek, and the pair walked off, hand-in-hand.


End file.
